Once upon a time…
Let’s just fast forward to the end: Snow White, poisoned by the evil queen, was finally saved by a handsome prince’s kiss of true love and they lived happily ever after.
Or: Cinderella was finally rescued by a handsome prince from the miserable life her wicked stepmother and stepsisters had made for her, and the duo lived happily ever after.
These were the stories Wu Sijia had listened to countless times as a child. She was once a fan of those dreamy stories and longed to be like the young women in them: To be found by the “prince,” and to live happily ever after.
But as she grew up, the stories began to lose their initial appeal. “The female image portrayed in the stories is beautiful and kind, but they are also naïve and fragile, waiting to be rescued by a man; it’s stereotyping,” the 31-year-old Beijing resident told . “Now, people must realize that women, both in fiction and in reality, are strong individuals and have the power to live
